Washington State University is kicking off the 2020-21 Visiting Writers Series with two online events lead by Taryn Fagerness, a publishing industry veteran who is familiar to readers of “LandEscapes,” the university’s literary magazine.
The fourth decade of the Visiting Writers Series begins Sept. 8 with an online panel discussion featuring Fagerness, who started her own literary agency after graduating from WSU and serving as LandEscapes’ editor. The panel will also include New York-based book editor and agent’s assistant Anne Horowitz and Kayla Lightner, a literary agent who specializes in speculative fiction centering on Black voices, humor and family sagas.
The discussion begins at noon and is open to faculty, staff and students. Registration can be done through the Visiting Writers Series website.
On Sept. 9 beginning at 6 p.m., Fagerness will lead a one-credit online workshop, ”How to be an agent/How to get an agent.” The workshop is open to WSU students, who must attend the Sept. 8 panel discussion as part of the course. To register for the workshop, contact Leisa McCormick at lmccormick@wsu.edu or 509-335-0496.
Other speakers planned for this year’s series include New York Times best-selling young adult author Kelly Yang, acclaimed poets Ross Gay, Major Jackson and C.S. Giscombe as well as Chigozie Obioma, author of “The Fishermen.”
Each event in the series will be free and open to the public. More information can be found on the Visiting Writers Series website.
This year’s series is being put on in collaboration with the WSU-Pullman English Department, WSU-Pullman College of Arts and Sciences, WSU-Vancouver Office of Equity and Diversity; WSU-Vancouver Office of Student Equity and Outreach; WSU-Vancouver Office of Academic Affairs; WSU-Vancouver College of Arts and Sciences; WSU-Tri-Cities Writing Center; WSU Common Reading Program; ASWSU; Landescapes, The Student Literary and Arts Journal.
